Walk across the park in front of the station. There's a strip mall on the other side of the street that has an ATM. Use one of your own credit or debit cards: you'll get the best exchange rate that way. Before you leave on your trip, check to see which of your cards doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee (many of them don't), and don't forget to tell your card issuer that you'll be in Canada.

(You might want to change the title of this thread. There's a Vancouver, Washington, but AFAIK there's no Vancouver, California. What you want is Vancouver, BC, Canada!)

Charlie: is the Money Exchange inside Pacific Central Station closed or are the exchange rates bad? ( the last time I was there last Feb. the dollars were @ par so I just used American currency)

Jim, I don't recall seeing it the last time they were there, so they may be closed. But they did have poor exchange rates in any case. And you won't want to use American currency at the moment, as the Canadian dollar is significantly lower than the American dollar.

It's surprising how difficult it is to get hand-selected currency in Canada. Tellers don't seem to have cash drawers any more. If you ask them for cash, they'll tell you that you will get whatever comes out of their machine. (I found this out when trying to get some of the new C$10 bills with The Canadian on the back. I went to four banks before getting what I wanted.)

And you can change the thread title by editing your first post, then clicking the "Use Full Editor" button at the bottom.

Interests:Reading all types of fiction and nonfiction; football; travel by all methods

Posted 29 March 2015 - 02:31 PM

I was hoping to find a bank.

You can go to Google maps and enter (the train station):
1150 Station St
Vancouver, BC V6A 4C7
Then in the upper left corner of the map you'll see something like "Search nearby" and when you enter 'banks' you'll get this:

I was looking for this information as well. The bus terminal in Vancouver is also Pacific Central Station. I was planning to exchange money in the station, but not if the exchange rates are bad. Can anybody find the ATM on Google Street View and link it? Thanks.

I was looking for this information as well. The bus terminal in Vancouver is also Pacific Central Station. I was planning to exchange money in the station, but not if the exchange rates are bad. Can anybody find the ATM on Google Street View and link it? Thanks.

It's where the dots marked "Citizens Bank of Canada" and "Vancouver City Savings" (Vancity) are in the above image.

Yes. See the Street View here: https://goo.gl/maps/nO3yq It's the door to the right of the entrance marked Vancity Centre. You can see the multi-colored images of the cards that they take above the door.

Does anyone know where to get Canadian money after arriving on the train from Seattle?

I would recommend you check with your bank in the U.S. before departing. Before our trip last September, I asked Chase for $300 in Canadian currency. It was delivered within a week and they let me specify large or small bills (small, mostly, for taxis and tips and such). With a planned arrival (following Customs) about 11 pm, I wanted local currency in my pocket before I stepped off the train.

Edit To Add: The currency exchange in Pacific Central Station was still operating during our visit, but it was closed for our late-night arrival. It was open the next morning when we took the bus - ferry to Victoria, though.

Keep in mind that Canada no longer has $1 and $2 Bills. (and the Pennies,are gone!)The Loonie and Toonie are coins which foriegn banks and ATMs don't carry.

I had no trouble using American Dollars in Canada until I could get to an ATM.Everywhere accepts them and Canadian service workers like the US Dollar because it is strong against the Loonie!

But many places screw you considerably by offering it as the same rate. Basically $1USD=$1CAD, which is a HUGE ripoff. Currently $1USD is roughly $1.34CAD, so for example, my mother lost an additional 34 cents value per dollar on that $40 sweatshirt she bought in Toronto. Maaaa...That was $13.60 extra that cost you!

My posts are my own opinions and do not represent the views of my employer in any way, shape, or form. ~ Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

As long as we're on the topic of Vancouver and money is no object issue....

Place to stay: When we made our one-night stopover last September we stayed in a downtown hotel I found online, the Rosedale on Robson Suite Hotel. It was a very nice high-rise hotel in the vicinity of the sports arena; a short cab ride (less than CAD10 including tip) from Pacific Central Station. We stayed in a luxurious two-bedroom suite with a queen bed in each bedroom, a sitting room with fully equipped kitchenette, and a single good-sized bathroom. I understand there are several smaller suites for smaller parties, but that the kitchenette is standard. The hotel offers a continental breakfast, but it's only complimentary if you book directly through the hotel...if you use a third-party online booking site, you will have to pay extra if you want the breakfast. We liked it well enough that we plan to return for three nights this September when we leave on our Alaska cruise, and by calling the hotel and speaking with the reservations desk directly we received a bit of a discount off the published rates. Recommended if you want to stay a few days in Vancouver.

Car Rental: If you rent a car from the airport, prepare to take a bath. A very cold bath. I was almost ready to pull the trigger on a 3-day Hertz rental from the airport which would have run CAD324 total (and the other companies were similar)...but when I got to checking around, and specifically the off-airport sites, I found that we could rent the same category car from the same company one block away from our cruise pier for USD89 total for the three days! Well, to save over $200, I think we can take a cab from the airport into town. Heck, I think we can afford to hire a limo!